Ubon flood saga catches govt napping

Ubon flood saga catches govt napping

Watching Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha answering a telephone during a televised fundraiser for flood victims took me back to my childhood.

Decades ago, these live fundraising shows were popular because they were the only channel available for a government or charity to seek donations from the public for natural-disaster victims. Money transfers weren't as easy as they are today. Back then, celebs would sit in a row, each with a telephone to answer calls from fans, who would enjoy a brief chat with their heroes and then do good by donating money to help out the less fortunate.

But it's a bit strange to see the prime minister sitting by a telephone to perform the same task today.

Hasn't Gen Prayut heard about online money transfers -- including via his own government's PromptPay? Done with just a few taps on a mobile phone, these are already being used by non-profit groups to raise funds for flood-relief efforts.

Before the government finally came up with its dated TV campaign, members of the public had already donated millions of baht through non-profit groups, which are efficient and know their job well.

Weeks since the flooding began, instead of unearthing the causes of the disaster, helping villagers get back on their feet, and creating a long-term mitigation plan, the government chose to broadcast a live fundraising event.

Viewers were treated to the ridiculous sight of the prime minister and various celebs acting like kindhearted heroes. Also present was superstar-turned-rescue worker Bin Bunluerit, whose own campaign had already garnered public donations worth about 300 million baht.

Bin, who has expressed frustration over the sluggish efforts to help desperate villagers, was seen sitting uncomfortably by a phone.

Worse was to come. As donations reached 300 million baht, at least six million of which came from government agencies themselves, the government confessed that the money could not be spent immediately, thanks to its own regulations -- a polite word for red tape.

It's sad to see how the current government -- although not quite the same administration as its predecessor -- has failed to learn a lesson from the past. In Aug, 2017, the prime minister and his cabinet faced an emergency when Sakon Nakhon was submerged under what was called the worst flooding in 30 years. Since then, serious floods have hit the province on an annual basis, including this year. Last year, almost 100,000 rai of farmland in Sakon Nakhon was devastated as the inundation arrived on cue. Again, last month, much of the city was ravaged by flash flooding in the wake of storms.

What happened in Ubon Ratchathani this year is a repeat of the disaster that befell Sakon Nakhon just two years ago. Yet, no proper warnings were issued ahead of the floods this time; well-planned relief operations or rehabilitation plans were conspicuous by their absence.

Strange as it may seem, while the rest of Ubon Ratchathani's Muang district lies under water, a housing estate stretching over a 300-rai plot has stayed dry. The management of The River residential neighbourhood, in tambon Charamae, has successfully protected its estate from the surrounding waters.

Located by an offshoot of the Moon River, the estate has stayed dry because it stands on an elevated landfill, about one metre above the level of surrounding streets, and it is guarded by a two-metre-high earthen wall. A set of water pumps are on standby around the clock while a team of security guards has been stationed to make sure no water seeps into the estate.

The estate management simply explained that it was well prepared because it had learned lessons from previous flooding in 1978.

I can't really blame the management for trying every way to keep their site dry while the whole district has been under water for weeks; the residents placed a good deal of their trust in the management when they bought these expensive houses. Apparently, their investment was worth it.

Yet while the management of a high-end housing estate has learnt lessons and worked hard to save its residents and property, the government by contrast appears to have learned nothing.

Despite years of repeat flooding in the Northeast, the government has never bothered to re-examine city planning to check whether the land is being properly -- and legally -- used so that floods can be prevented or at least managed.

Instead, it keeps treating these calamities as if they were unpreventable natural disasters, ignoring the crucial fact that such catastrophes come as a result of man-made activities that are aggravated by bad planning.

Sirinya Wattanasukchai is a Bangkok Post columnist.

Sirinya Wattanasukchai

Columnist

Sirinya Wattanasukchai is a columnist for the Bangkok Post.

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